Venetian blind stabilizer



Feb. 3, 1959 c. M. HARTER 2,871,934

VENETIAN BLIND STABILIZER Filed Nov. 15. 1956 VENETIAN BLIND STABILIZER Clair M. Harter, Seattle, Wash, assignor to Clair 1. Hull, Seattle, Wash.

Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,902 6 Claims. (Cl. 160-173) to prevent independent swaying or rippling; to keep the slat ends spaced apart to maintain uniformity of appearance top and bottom as when the slats are packed or separated,'but also when the blind is only partially extended; and to operate progressively in either direction or movement in a chain fashion irrespective of slat spacing.

Other objects include providing a stabilizer capable of low cost production, simple to assemble and to install, and which is durable as well as easily maintained and cleaned as required over extended periods of use.

In the drawings:'

1 Figure 1 is a top plan view of my stabilizer as attached with vertically hanging Venetian blind slats, the same being shown in cross-section;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a preferred form of anchor member used in my stabilizer; t

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a link used in connection with the anchor member of Figure v2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of the stabilizcranchorlink assembly, with portions broken away or omitted for clarity;

Figure 5 is a top-plan view as in Figure l of a closed Venetian blind equipped with my stabilizer;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modified link-ineluding a ball joindermember;

Figure 7 is a perspective viewofa modified anchor memberiadapted to couple with the linkof Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view, similar to Figure .4, of the modified anchor-link assembly of Figures 6 and 7.

The anchor member 12 shown in Figure 2 comprises a blade having reversely formed ears 14 at each end. Enlarged head pivot pins 16 depend from blade 12 at its ends. An intermediate depending pin 18 is also shown. Ears 14 form slat jaws 15.

The link of Figure 3 comprises shank 20 having head 22 which includes the perforate pivot car 24 and guide member26, here shown as having an open jaw 28. The outer end of shank 20 carries enlargement which serves as a stop member.

Preferably the anchor members and links are formed of molded plastic material such as, foraexample, nylon or one of the polyethylene compounds. Resilience and flexibility are desired in these elements, as well as minimum weight, ease of cleansing, and durability. Referring to Figure 4, it will be seen that the eye of perforate car 24 is snapped over the enlarged head of pin 16 to provide the desired pivotal connection. In this case pivoting is about a vertical aXis so that link 20 may swing in a horizontal plane.

In Figure 1 the hanging slats 32 of a vertical Venetian blind are shown as they would appear when partially 2,871,934 Patented Feb. 3, 19 59 "ice drawn to the screening position. Slats 32 are shown as arcuate although it will be understood they may be flat as well. Each slat has an anchor member 12 fitted on and secured to its lower free end, the slat being tightly gripped in the multiple-grip jaws 15, 15. This arrangement involving gripping the slat at two or more points at the bottom or free end insures rigidity in the stabilizer in its control over the movement of the slat ends. Each anchor member has a link 20 secured as in Figure 3 to each end. The shank of each link 20 is slidably inserted into jaw 28 of the next adjacent link whereby a chain of links is assembled. By this assembly it will be seen that the vertically suspended slats forming the blind have two parallel, spaced apart, extensible-contractible chains of links extending horizontally along the lower end of the blind.

This invention isnot concerned with the manner by which slats 32 are suspeded from overhead or the manner or means by which the slats are spread or closed, or racked to the position of Figure 5'. Suffice it to say that the slats are drawn from the pack by force applied overhead to move them to the screen position and centrally of the opening in a progressive manner. Under such circumstances slat 32 (to the right in Figure 1) moves until enlarged heads 30, 30 on the first pair of links 20 engage with the edges of the respective jaws in which the link shanks are slidably positioned. Thereafter each slat is progressively picked up and drawn from the pack.

I have discovered that sliding of the links is facilitated by outwardly curving the shanks of links 20 as shown in Figures 1 and 3. In general, this arcuation should be such that the shanks curve outward of the jaws 28.

As shown in Figure l, the pins 18 may be employed variously to equip the blind with attachments. To insure a loose anchoring of the blind at its end having relatively little movement, a pin 40 having crook 42 is snapped to pin 18. The shank of pin 40 may frictionally be secured by a clip 44 attached to an adjacent wall or frame mem ber 46. At the other end of the plurality of slats, a link 48 having slot 49 and port 51 is snapped over the pins 18 of the adjacent anchor members. Link 48 carries a magnet which may cooperate with another similar magnet 53 or a piece of iron material on another blind to hold the inner blind end stabilized.

This apparatus beneficially functions to stabilize the Venetian blind at the lower ends of the slats by pre venting independent swaying or rippling of. the slats as when drafts or breezes pass over theblind. The stabilizer also serves to keep the separated as well as closed slat ends spaced apart to maintain uniformity of appearance. 7

During spreading or closing of the slats, the stabilizer links function progressively as the slats separate or close together. At all times, however, they provide the stabilizing functions mentioned irrespective of slat spacing. Referring to Figure 6, link shank 50 having stop enlargement 52, is provided with a modified pivot head 54 which includes upwardly open jaw 56 and depending bar 58. Pin 60 with ball-end 62 stands outward on one side of ear 58. This provides a lateral axis of pivot.

The modified anchor member of Figure 7 has a pair of blades 64, 66 forming the walls of a groove 68 which receives the lower end of blind slat 32. Pin 70 depends intermediate the ends of blades 64, 66 which also carry a pair of vertically spaced perforate pins 72 at each end. The ball 62'of pin 60 snaps into jaws 72 for pivotal movement about an upright, but not necessarily vertical, axis. The pivoting is that of a ball and socket assembly. Pin 63 in ball 62 abuts the walls of the adjacent jaw member 72 and serves to limit pivoting to a degree.

Link shank 50 is curved as described before. The

3 curve is generally away from the jaw 56 but in this instance is upward instead of outward. The curves of shanks 20 and 5t] permit overlapping of links and facilitate extension or contraction of the link chain.

Figure 5 shows the arrangement of the preferred form of stabilizer as it appears when the blind slats are racked to their closedor light tight position. It will be noted that the stabilizer operates as an articulated parallel mechanism and that the link chains close together with racking of the slats and associated anchor members.

In certain installations it may be desirable to avoid the outward flare of the links 20, as shown in Figure 1. In that event the assembler merely applies the links to the pins 16 in opposite order. That is'the upper chain of links of Figure 1 are then arranged on the lower rows of pins 16 and, conversely, the lower chain of links of Figure 1 is applied to the upper rows of pins 16 of the blind. In such assembly the links in the packed position overlap toward the bottom center of the slats 32 and inward of the anchor members 12 rather than outward as illustrated. This arrangement does not alter the function of the stabilizer and it does not change the combination of elements involved.

In the described alternate assembly arrangement, the curvature of the links is of course inward of the blind. However, it will be noted that the curved link shank has the same relation to the jaw which receives as before described.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made in various details. Those which fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims are considered covered thereby.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A stabilizer for the lower end of a Venetian blind having vertically suspended rigid blade slats, comprising: two parallel, spaced apart,- series of telescopically connected rigid links at the lower terminals of said hanging slats and extending horizontally of said blind; an anchor member traversing the lower terminal of each slat and having a jaw groove to frictionally receive the slat end; means forming an upright pivotal connection between each link and an anchor member at the ends thereof; and means on each link cooperable with the next adjacent link to serially limit the extension of said series.

2. A stabilizer for the lower end of a Venetian blind having vertically hanging rigid blade slats, comprising: two telescopic series of rigid links each disposed at a lower corner of said blind and extending horizontally thereof an anchor member traversing the lower terminal of each slat and having a jaw groove to frictionally receive the slat end; means forming a pivotal connection between each link and an anchor member at the end thereof; a jaw on each link to slidably engage the next link and form a telescopic connection between said links; and means on each link at the end opposite its pivotal connection to a slat and cooperable with the next adjacent link to serially limit the extension of said series.

3. A stabilizer for the lower end of a Venetial blind having vertically suspended rigid blade slats, comprising: means on the lower terminal of each slat forming a pair of spaced apart depending pivot horns; a slide link having a perforate pivot ear pivotally mounted on each said horn; each of said links having a guide eye, the shank of the next adjacent slide link being slidably disposed in said guide eye; and means to limit withdrawal of said link from said eye upon horizontal separation of said slats; said links forming two spaced apart telescopic semi-rigid chains whereby to dampen swaying and rippling of said slats in drafts.

4. A stabilizer for the lower end of a Venetian blind having vertically hanging rigid blade slats, comprising: an anchor member grooved to be received and frictionally secured to the lower terminal end of each slat; a pair of juxtaposed elongated cylindrical links disposed between each adjacent pair of anchor members; each link having a pivotal connection to an outer end of an anchor member; each link having a restricted-mouth guide jaw adjacent said pivotal connection to receive the shank of the next adjacent link for telescopic action and including means to limit extension of each link relative its guide aw.

5. A stabilizer for the lower end of a Venetian blind having vertically suspended rigid blade slats, comprising: two parallel, spaced apart, telescopic chains to extend horizontally along the lower edge of said blind; each element of said chain including wall means forming a transverse channel between said chains to receive the lower end of a blind slat and including a pivot horn at each end; a rod-like link pivotally associated with each said horn and extending unidirectionally therefrom in overlapping relation to a next adjacent link; and guide means on each link to receive such an overlapping link for sliding movement.

6. The structure according to claim 1 in which the means forming an upright pivotal connection between each link member and an anchor member comprises a ball and socket connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,841,065 Simon Jan. 12, 1932 2,503,441 Kamm Apr. 11, 1950 2,768,679 Kiefer Oct. 30, 1956 2,785,743 Kiefer Mar. 19, 1957 

